Community pantry returns, this time for drivers hit by oil price hikes

MANILA, Philippines – After five years, Patricia Non is back on Maginhawa Street in Quezon City, setting up a community pantry once again.

But this time, it’s for public utility drivers struggling with soaring fuel prices.

The setup, stocked with vegetables like sayote and kangkong (chayote and water spinach), along with packs of rice, quickly drew drivers in need. With less than two hours, everything was gone.

Asked how she feels setting up the Maginhawa community pantry again years after the crippling COVID-19 pandemic, Non said, “Parang nakakaiyak siya, to be honest.” (It’s honestly a bit emotional for me.)

“After five years, wala namang lockdown. Nakakapasada naman, nakakapagtrabaho naman ang mga tao. But at the same time, kailangan mong mag-arrive sa something na community pantry,” Non told Rappler on Thursday, March 26.

(After five years, there’s no lockdown anymore. People can go out, drive, and work. But at the same time, you still find yourself needing something like a community pantry.)

She described the pantry as a “movement of empathy and caring” but admitted there’s a quiet sadness in seeing the need persist.

COMMUNITY PANTRY. Patricia Non sets up a community pantry for drivers affected by the oil price hike on March 26, 2026. Patricia Non/Facebook

Still, Non said she feels reassured this time, with more people stepping up to help. More community pantries across Metro Manila are expected to follow, according to Non.

Non started a community pantry in 2021 along Maginhawa Street at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help struggling Filipinos. The initiative created a ripple effect and inspired similar efforts nationwide.

“Kung ako lang, hindi ko kaya. Pero kung buong community sa bawat terminal, kahit paisa-isang delata, paisa-isang gulay, may matutulungan na mga driver,” Non said.

(I can’t do it alone. But if the whole community in every terminal pitches in even just one canned good or one piece of vegetable, drivers will still get help.)

Non also reiterated the concept of the pantry: “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha batay sa pangangailangan.” (Give according to your means, take only what is needed.)

But beyond community action, Non called on the government to implement policies that would ease the burden on drivers and commuters affected by rising fuel costs.

On Thursday, hundreds of public utility drivers across the country are staging a transport strike. Drivers of public utility vehicles, as well as motorcycle and car ride-hailing services, have been grumbling over the expensive fuel which has adversely affected their daily earnings.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of national energy emergency as global oil prices continue to rise amid the conflict in the Middle East. He also signed a law authorizing him to suspend or reduce excise tax on petroleum products. – Rappler.com